Sick Goat

[Dave Stein]

Nan hit it right on the head and we can see it all the way down here in Texas. A 21 day Corrid treatment with vitaman B. Use the powder form its 20% VS 10% for the liquid version.

She doesn't look bloated and she's very underweight. Have she been checked for worms (specifically coccidia)? Coccidiosis can take a goat down fast (diarrhea being a major symptom) and it can spread quickly through your herd. A fecal exam is the only way to determine this for sure. I've never dealt with this myself, so I don't know the best advice.

I think what's bothering people, Sydney, is not that we think you want your goat to die. It's the idea that you'll only give her till Tuesday and then off to the sale barn if she's not better. That's not much of a chance. But more than that, it really bothers us that you would fob your problems off on some unsuspecting person at the sale. Selling your sick goats is both irresponsible and unethical. You may not be able to afford this loss, but neither can the person who buys your goat. You also risk infecting up-to-now healthy animals at the sale. If, let's say, your goat had something horrible like Johne's disease, then you risk contaminating herds in your area with a terrible illness that cannot be cured, that lives in the soil for a very long time, and is infectious not only to goats but to cattle and all other ruminants. Your sick animals are your responsibility and if you cannot cure them then you must end their lives humanely and take the loss, unless you can give them away to someone with full disclosure. Anything less is dishonest and you can ruin your reputation that way.

That said, I also know that you are a teenager and you may not have much control over what happens to your animals. Your dad may be the one who decides to take her to the sale barn, and if that's the case then I feel for you. But I think we all want you to know that there is a better way to do things so that one day when you run your own herd, you can operate it in a more responsible way. Money is nothing compared to a good reputation and a clear conscience.

I hope you can figure out what's wrong with your goat and get her healthy again. I hope that whatever she has does not spread through your herd. Get a temperature and do a fecal exam!

[Dwite Sharp]

Lets stop guessing ! Run a fecal sample, any vet can do it, and it's not expensive. The chances of it being Coccidiosis in a new herd of four older does is pretty low, weaning age kids quite a bit higher. 21 days of Corid is dangerous to a healthy goat. 5 days on, 10 days off, 5 more days on is all that is needed if it is Coccidiousis. Collect a fresh stool sample and get it to a Vet. then you will know for sure.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Dwite there are no listed does for goats on most wormers and its a know FACT that you give more to goats then any other animal. There is no conspiracy on the manufactures part in that area. That is all trial, error and knowledge. And the difference between cattle pour on and the sheep oral drench is obvious. Just as minerals in mixes come from different sources and methods such as sulfate vs. carbonate, there are distinct differences in the differ cydectin wormers. The oral sheep drench uses a much better delivery system to get the active ingredient into the animal and needs less of it. Much the same way selenium in mixes is usually sulfate based and is nearly impossible to cause toxicity even up to 180 ppm, while organic selenium starts to become toxic at just 3-5 ppm.

[Dwite Sharp]

That's funny, three of the four wormers I rotate between "DO" have dosages for goats on the instructions. And guess what, the difference between the cattle dosage and the goat dosage is only 3 lbs per cc on that Cydectin, not 2 to 4 times more. And all that "Trial and error" your doing, has already been done by professional researchers with millions of dollars at their disposal and Big laboratorys with real microscopes so fecal counts can be observed, so that the "Correct", factual results are known to those who believe in science and want the "True" facts. And they still don't recommend the sheep drench for goats.

[Reckless]

Alright, alright... No use in 'discussing' (Heatedly); just because one has heard one thing, doesn't mean its wrong, just like the other isn't wrong. And what does it matter anyway? If it works for you, it works! :p There is no 'for sure' thing when it comes to creatures, just as it is for us humans.

Back to the topic::
Sydney; have you recently taken the Goats temperature? Is she still going diarrhea? Is her stomach hard or squishy? Does she grind her teeth? How much is she eating currently? Have you given her anything as a boost; like electrolytes? Is there rumen sounds? What color is her snotty nose? We need a little bit more information before we can diagnose or treat the problem...

[sydneyjd]

Ok,last night i did a couple tests to see if it was a twisted gut,and it seems to be. So we tried untwisting it,and today she seems to be doing better. She ate some hay,and licked some minerals.
Reckless: No,i haven't taken the goats temperature. Her poop at the moment(the little she has) is sort of like pudding today. Her stomach feels quite natural for a goat. kinda squishy. No,she doesn't grind her teeth. She is nibbling at food,where yesterday,she wouldn't eat anything.I have given her electrolytes. her snot looks normal,clearish,and she doesn't have much of it. Also her ears feel kinda cold,but alot better than yesterday.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

Really? Cause im looking at 4 different wormers in front of me and only one (valbazen) has doses for goats. Cydectin sheep drench doesnt list goats but the doesage for goats is nearly twice what it is for sheep. The Cydectin sheep drench I have right here, given to me by the best goat vet I have ever known, who keeps in constant contact with his WSU professors continually exchanging information, hand wrote the correct dosage on this bottle. By trail and error I wasnt speaking just on my part but on the goat community as a whole.

So again, the two headed goat coin problem arises. And as I have done with many other goat owners, Ill concede that your experience, knowledge, methods and beliefs differ from mine and each have possible merit. Better to post your stance then to say others are wrong in theirs.

[Teckelhut]

I dont use any of those brands so I am not even going to worry about it. LOL

[Reckless]

I don't think its twisted gut. (I could be wrong) Twisted gut in a goat is extraordinarily painful, they cannot poop, and often times they'll be in so much pain that they'll scream. They grind their teeth, and kick at their belly; also their temperature is very, very cool.

I believe she might have cocci; which you can NOT cure with wormer. However, it might not be, so:

Do you have antibiotics? (Just in case)

[sydneyjd]

Nanno showed my this , http://kinne.net/displ-ab.htm and we checked the simptoms,and tried what they said to do, and she seems to be doing better and she even burped today